Friday, March 28, 2008

Quick hits: Two Winston-Salem legends in the news

Maya Angelou celebrates her 80 years of joy and pain
"In the dining room of her elegantly restored Harlem town house, beneath painted clouds on a light blue ceiling, Maya Angelou is asked how it feels to be turning 80.

" 'Exciting! she says with a broad smile, then adds: 'The body knows. The bones don't let you forget.'

"The woman who defies a simple label — Angelou has been a memoirist, poet, civil rights activist, actress, director, professor, singer and dancer — is getting an early birthday gift," says USA Today.

"Two longtime friends and her niece, who is Angelou's archivist, have collaborated on an illustrated book, Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration (Doubleday, $30), a tribute and scrapbook, that will be published Tuesday. ...

"What she does like is to be called Dr. Angelou. Although she never went to college, she has been awarded more than 30 honorary degrees. Since 1981, she has been a professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. ..."

Grier to be honored in her hometown
"Actress Pam Grier will be honored next month during an N.C. film festival.

"The Winston-Salem Journal reports Grier will receive a master of cinema award during the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem. The festival runs April 23-28," says the Associated Press.

"Grier appears in the Showtime series 'The L Word.' She's best known for starring in movies in the 1970s.

"Grier was born in Winston-Salem in 1949. Her family later settled in Colorado, where she graduated high school. ..."

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